Flora

By UrJuliaOi

4.4K 404 309

꧁ Love may or may not bloom under certain circumstances but when it does, It outweighs everything. This story... More

Author's note
Unveiling of the settings and Lead Characters
꧁Chapter 1꧂
꧁Chapter 2꧂
꧁Chapter 3꧂
꧁Chapter 4꧂
꧁Chapter 5꧂
꧁Chapter 6꧂
꧁Chapter 7꧂
꧁Chapter 8꧂
꧁Chapter 9꧂
꧁Chapter 10꧂
꧁Chapter 11꧂
꧁Chapter 12꧂
꧁Chapter 13꧂
꧁Chapter 14꧂
꧁Chapter 15꧂
꧁Chapter 16꧂
꧁Chapter 17꧂
꧁Chapter 18꧂
꧁Chapter 19꧂
꧁Chapter 20 ꧂

꧁Prologue꧂

401 23 19
By UrJuliaOi

Playing: Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt- Morning Mood

A rather normal day for Julia Colette Choi, the incoming queen of the Queendom of Azalea once her mother's reign ends when she gets married off to some prince from a foreign kingdom somewhere else. She sat up from her ginormous bed when she heard the muffled calls of a servant knocking on the door of her room this early in the morning. She got out of her bed and approached the door to be greeted by the same servant.

"Good morning Princess Julia, your mother is asking for your presence."

"For what reason might it be?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows.

"She did not bring up the reason for such a thing Princess Julia, I suppose you should meet her at the royal garden. At the moment, she is currently having tea all by herself on the veranda." She stated apologetically.

"Having tea this early I see. Now if you excuse me I still have to make preparations." She huffed before she excused herself to get changed into vêtements more fitting for a young lady labeled as a princess to wear.

She taunted through the hallway of the castle to head towards the royal garden where the queen is situated at. Once she saw the figure sitting on the veranda facing the man-made lake filled with swans, she quickened her pace until she found herself on the veranda. She cleared her throat slightly to inform the older woman of her presence which she successfully did because the queen is now facing her signaling her to sit beside her still facing the scenery she's been entrancing herself into for what seemed to be hours.

"For what purpose does my presence serve here, mother?" She asked softly eyeing the older woman.

"I saw the need to call you for the reason that I wanted to converse about your reign as the Queen of this nation. When shall it start? When shall you find a fine young lad from another country and lead this country together with him? Time as we all know is certainly of the essence. " She asked now facing the princess.

She pursed her lips now looking towards the direction of the scenery of the lake thinking of an answer or more so hoping for an answer to pop out of her head. Then she resorted to utilizing her most over-used response.

"I will find one soon enough, mother." She reassuringly stated.

"When exactly will that "soon" be? When I depart this life of mine? Or will you ever be able to find one at all? It appears so that your younger sister, Jinni is likely to find one earlier than you can." She asked in a rather calm tone. She's a well-poised lady after all and losing her cool would mean she isn't thinking rationally.

"I will find one as soon as viable, mother." She stated as she pursed her lips whilst looking down at her hands before the queen excused her to leave and head to eat her breakfast. But before she could head towards where she was supposed to be heading, the questions on her mind have caused her to grow even more curious. She was three steps away from deciphering its conundrum and so she took the chance and asked the queen the question that has been lingering on her mind for quite some time.

"Why do I need a man to rule this nation alongside me, mother?" She asked, pure curiosity evident in her voice.

"We shall not break the heritage that has been embedded in this state since the dawn of its creation, Julia. I, myself married your father before becoming the ruler of this nation and you too shall abide by it." She explained whilst still facing the scenery before her eyes. Despite receiving an answer from the Queen, she felt like it wasn't the one or perhaps wasn't the only one. It was like shooting the target with an arrow but not attaining a bullseye. She needed more and so she asked again hoping it would hit the bullseye this time around.

"Something in me tells me that wasn't the sole reason for such thing mother, what is it?" She asked again. This time, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I do not trust you on leading this country. If my power as a Queen can defy nature, I would command to live a permanent life just to rule over this Queendom until the end of time to ensure and maintain its desirable well-being and prevent it from crumbling." She answered without much enthusiasm in her voice.

"Thank you for answering my question mother, It certainly did clear up my mind." She said with a weak smile plastered on her face. She felt satisfied with the answer she received, but perhaps it might've hit the bullseye way too hard that it penetrated through her brain and made its way to pierce her heart. She bowed slightly before excusing herself to head towards the dining area where she found her younger sister already feasting. Perhaps she will be eating the pain and frustration away.

________________________

She was awoken from her slumber whilst the sunlight penetrated through the balcony of her lavish room. She yawned and sat up before stretching and leaving the solace of her bed and striding straight to her balcony to look over the idyllic scenery of the royal garden. The royal garden is vast beyond comprehension. It surrounds the castle thus making it a peaceful haven amid the capital. She breathed in the fresh air and laid her big doe eyes in the direction of the gardeners trimming and mowing some bushes and greeted them with a wave of her hand and a captivating smile on her delicate facial features. She strolled across the premises of the mansion for an adequate amount of time as she woke up sooner than habitual of her thus having to wait for the sumptuous smorgasbord to be served. Despite residing in different mansions, royal families live inside the walls surrounding the castle where they acquire austere security through the knight's presence. She was yearning for her older sister's presence whilst tapping her delicate feet across the hallways to navigate when she insisted to head unto her sister's bedroom and waking her up herself. She was greeted by the figure of a servant knocking on the door of her sister's bedroom when she arrived at the desired section of their mansion.

"She isn't responding isn't she?" She questioned the servant.

"I'm afraid she is not miss, I have been calling her out for a while now and zilch has reciprocated my call." She answered with utmost worry in her voice.

The princess sighed before pulling out a metal ring with dozens of keys from the gap between her dress and her chest. The servant was left flabbergasted by her action. She did not expect this action to be done by the sublime Catherine Ahelissa Shin. She stepped aside allowing the princess to gain full access to the door before beaconing her to unbolt the door with her keys in hand. She grabbed the key with a jade embedded in the middle of its Bow. Once the door was unbolted, she stepped inside the room and scanned the place to see no sign of her sister. She sighed, she had the hunch that her sister headed to the place again but she had to solidify her claim which she did just now.

"She must've ventured onto the woods yet again. I'm certain of it." she stated in a rather calm manner knowing her older sister can manage herself in those barren landscapes. A servant called her from a distance causing her to snap back from her trance and oblige to head to the dining room to consume her lavish miscellany of breakfasts.

_____________________

She was hiking through the thick vegetation of the forest south of the capital.

She loved jaunting and navigating through the bushes and the trees that stretched for miles and has existed even before civilization has made its way here. Nothing was holding her nor nature back from being true to themselves in this place. The flowers are in full bloom and the trees have grown to reach a towering height. Bandits and wild animals are a threat here but she's not one to falter upon hearing their sounds resonating throughout the woods. She left her horse under the care of her good friend, Lucy Ravenor Hwang. Despite their difference in class, they were able to develop a heart-to-heart bond with each other much more than her younger sister and her as she's always astray from the path her parents have chosen for her to follow. Lucy was also alone most of the time and rather lonely in need of the company which the eldest daughter of the house of Shins, Joanne Eira Shin has given her. Joanne never cared about attending such a fete her parents along with her younger sister are certainly not missing out. She despised going to such events and trying to blend in with the Dukes/Duchess, Marquees/Marchioness, Earls/Countess, and so on not needing to be mentioned. She'd rather be combating a battalion of bandits and fighting a duel with a bear using her fist than attend such irksome gatherings with people she perceive as just as exasperating as the assembly.

she was deep in thought when a ginormous eagle flew past her field of vision. Her brows furrowed as she traced her sight following the direction she presume the raptor is headed when her eyes witnessed the sight of a young man dashing for his dear life. Without much as a pondering, she grabbed an arrow and shot the raptor dead before it could latch its fatal claws upon the lad. She sauntered closer to the now lifeless body of the raptor, she was rather impressed by her archery skills as she haven't shot a bird not to mention a raptor in this instance which she suspect has around 3 meters wingspan from tip to tip. Slaying a Haast's eagle midflight is rather impressive beyond comprehension for her degree.

"Well this is a rather valuable quarry we have here." she stated in a boastful tone to herself chuckling before laying her eyes on the lad laying flat on the ground. Fortunately, the lad was facing down as she has noticed that his belt was untucked.

"Oh, mon Dieu!" she exclaimed, shock prevalent in her tone nor her Façade. she stood there still flabbergasted when the lad turned his head back to face her. He then stood up and just as he was about to turn in the gal's direction, she was quick to aim an arrow in his direction.

"I forbid you to turn around, if you do so then I would be certain to shoot this arrow straight through your skull and I will do it with utmost pleasure." she warned with unmatched intimidation laced in her voice. He looked down at his little friend and that's when realization has hit him harder than any cannon from the pirates he encountered offshore has hit their galleon. he immediately zipped up his trousers and buckle his belt before facing the gal to apologize for his rather ignorant measures.

"My apologies, I presume I was still dazed by the near-death experience I've had a few moments ago. It was inconsiderate of me." He stated slightly looking down apparently to hide his guilt.

_____________________

She was done weaving a tablecloth for the castle and so she stretched out her arms whilst arching her back to rid of every soreness she may have in her system. She let out a sigh of relief as it was yet again another big work she has accomplished. She was asked to weave a classic short story through the fabric of the table cloth that stretches for meters and though no one was quite sure of the origin of the story, one thing was certain and that is the varied analysis of those who've heard of it has concluded. It is certainly something that shall be deciphered along the way.

She stood up from her seat and ramble across her room to seek something that could rid her boredom away as she is yet to feel drowsy. She heaved a sigh before plopping herself onto her bed staring at one of her most valued works at the ceiling. It was a fabric exhibiting herself dancing along to music in the town square holding her skirt upwards. She gasped and sat up from bed before dashing out of the place to head towards the town square to be greeted by the ever so festive ambiance of the place. Music fills her ears to its brim if we are to think of it as a glass that's meant to hold liquid. A smile crept on her lips as she took off her sandal and slightly tossed the pair to the side before scurrying towards the middle frolickingly bouncing with anticipation as she once again does what she's most passionate about doing other than weaving, dancing. She was so enticed by the rhythm the ensemble was blessing her ears with as the music crescendoed that her body appears to be moving on its own out of fervent. Intelligible, given the fact that she was not able to do this for weeks as the approach of a new season has signified the bulk of orders for fabrics with patterns that are well-suited for spring. Her splendid performance has caught the attention of several passersby as now she was being closely observed by a crowd of people. Once the music descendoed, she bowed ever so gracefully towards the crowd who were now whistling and clapping their hands to her for yet again another marvelous performance of her. Once the attention to her subdued, she immediately scanned through the place she recalled she dropped off her sandals to find them missing. She pursed her lips frowning only for her attention to be caught by a rather bright-looking lad. She raised her brows at him from confusion when she darted her gaze at the pair of sandals he held out to her.

"I suppose this belongs to you, ma chérie " he muttered the last two words to himself unconsciously blurting it out louder than he desired it to be. He had always admired the gal from afar thus seeing her up close is something extraordinary for him. He was involuntarily trembling as he thought of what he said. Embarrassment engulfed him as he looked away from her as she was smiling with arched brows curiosity evident on her delicate features. He cleared his throat before facing back at her.

"I presume I could do something to repay the kindness you've exhibited am I right?" The girl asked hopefully of an answer though uncertain if he wants to converse with her any longer as she noticed the actions of the lad concluding that he was uncomfortable.

"Uh-I, I-actually can we be.....friends? I-I know this may sound rather peculiar but-" She placed her hand on his lips cutting him off as she plastered a smile on her face before answering the lad.

"Very well mister....." She raised her brows waiting for him to state his name as he grabbed her wrist softly removing her hands from his lips before blurting out his name

"Terry, Terry Lefuuinis Kang." He stated with a smile on his face.

"Judy Lefleda Lee." She stated as she shook their hands.

"You don't ought me an introduction, you're so infamous in these lanes." He stated before chuckling softly and rubbing his nape.

"Should I take you to our bakery? We have an array of bread you'll surely indulge in." He informed her with utmost proudness which earned a slight chuckle from her as she found it quite adorable of him.

"Oh, you needn't to. That shan't be necessary, I already-" her words were cut off by him as he grabbed her wrist guiding her through the crowd.

"I insist miss Judy." He smiled before continuing to face the other direction.

_____________________

(4 months ago)

She was strolling through the flower field ever so delicately as to not cause damage to any flora she grew. These are her parent's legacy and it's only rightful of her to continue such heirloom. She was closely observing a portion of the field waters trickling down their petals as they're damped by the morning mist when a ruffle of the tulips from a distance caught her attention. It is rather odd for such a thing to transpire as the morning breeze is currently not fanning her nor any flowers at least in her field of vision. Cautious of what might appear, she lifted her skirt ever so slightly and revealed a strap hugging her thigh holding a knife. She took it out and pointed it towards the direction she was most wary of. In an instant, a man stood up amongst the flowers which caused her to gasp in surprise, and pointed her weapon closer to his nape. He yawned as though he was just awoken from his slumber. Upon turning his back, he was startled by the gal's presence and her ever so pointy knife only centimeters away from penetrating his throat and so he fell on his back which caused damage to the flora that surrounds them.

"Look what you've done!" Lucy blurted out in utter annoyance.

"Name?" She bluntly asked now kneeling to point the object at his throat.

"Da-Daniel" He stutteringly stated, nervousness lacing his voice as an awkward smile crept upon his face. He had never been so nerve-wracked whilst stating his name.

"Well Daniel, you are aware of the fact that you damaged my crops am I right?" She questioned which earned a hasty nod from the lad.

"And how do you think shall you pay for the casualties your slumber and stupidity has caused my tulips?" She asked arching her brows leaning her face closer to the lad as she bore a hole through his eyes.

"I-I'm afraid to disappoint you but I currently don't have the fortune so I would like to propose another method of paying you back." He smiled awkwardly yet again.

"Spit it out." She sternly stated which caused the lad to spit in a literal way.

"What an imbecile." She muttered to herself before simplifying her words which earned a knowing nod from the lad.

"I would like to repay you with my body." He said looking down. He's a prince and so resorting to such a thing is rather shameful for him. He was expecting her to agree without as much as a ponder but he was proven wrong when their heads collided causing him to lose consciousness.

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